The United Nations human rights chief has expressed “alarm” over mounting racism in Europe, amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the continent.
The rise of extremist language can spark serious rights abuses, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said during a session in Geneva on Tuesday.
“I am disturbed by the recent increase across the political spectrum in several states in Western Europe of a discourse rooted in anti-immigrant and racist sentiment and religious intolerance,” said Pillay.
Fears have increased over the growing threat of violations committed by eurosceptic and racist parties in the European Parliament elections in May.
Pillay also warned that EU lawmakers will include politicians who have made such disturbing statements recently.
“The new European parliament will include a German party leader who has said: ‘Europe is the continent of white people and it should remain that way’,” she said, referring to extremist Udo Voigt of the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD).
Head of France’s National Front (FN) Marine Le Pen has compared Muslim street prayers to the military occupation of the country by the Nazis.
Also, an Italian politician has been found guilty of setting fire to structures used by homeless migrants sleeping under a bridge.
These types of comments and actions are in no way harmless, Pillay said.
She has also linked the growth of extremism to the deadly attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels last month.
“There is a road to perpetration of human rights violations. And hate speech – particularly by political leaders – is on that road,” she concluded.
GMA/NN
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